Meditatio Timoris et Amoris / Meditation on Fear and Love
Full Transcription
Time.
Timor deum sanctus
permanet.
Quid?
Deum tuum.
Dominum tuum.
Iudicem tuum.
Quare?
Quia omnipotens est.
In quo deliquisti.
Quia reuerendus est quem
contempsisti.
Quia districtissimus est. quem tam frequenter
offendisti.
Quantum?
Ut nec respirare
audeas in conspectu tante maiestatis. tante iniquitatis conscius.
Ut propter ipsum omnia sustineas tamquam seruus inutilis et
indignus.
Ut semper suspectus uiuas tanquam fur iam
rapiendus ad tribunal iudicis.
Quomodo?
Te ipsum accusando.
Iudicando. Puniendo.
Aliis obtemperando. condolendo. et
compaciendo.
Presentem uitam contempnendo. Futuram appetendo.
Mortem non timendo.
Quaque?
Quam diu delinquis ;
et penam mereris.
Quam diu uiuis. et in periculis
uersaris.
Quam diu fueris. donec in caritate
proficiaris.
Ama.
Amor Dei castus.
Quid?
Patrem tuum.
Fratrem tuum.
Amicum tuum.
Quare?
Quia te fecit cum non
esses.
Quia te redemit cum perditus esses.
Quia ditauit te cum pauper esses ; diuitiis gratie sue.
Quantum?
Toto corde ipsum
solum amplectendo.
Tota anima nichil preter ipsum
sapiendo.
Tota uirtute. omnia propter ipsum perficiendo. et
equanimiter sustinendo.
Quomodo?
Quomodo. In desideriis
cordis et deuotione.
In iubilacione laudis et oratione.
In emulatione uirtutum ; et operacione.
Quaque?
Usque in finem.
In fine.
Sine fine.
Full Translation
Fear.
Holy fear of God
endures.
Who?
Your God.
Your Lord.
Your Judge.
Why?
Because he is
omnipotent, against whom you have transgressed.
Because he
is awful, whom you have defied.
Because he is most severe,
whom you have so frequently offended.
How much?
So that you dare
not breathe in the sight of so much majesty, conscious of so much
inequality.
So that, with regards to yourself, you endure
everything, like a useless and unworthy servant.
So that
you live always in apprehension, just as a thief, now snatched away to face the
judge's seat.
In what way?
By you accusing,
judging, punishing yourself.
By obeying, grieving with, and
suffering with others.
By despising the present life,
striving for the future one, not fearing death.
How long?
As long as you do
wrong, and are deserving of punishment.
As long as you live,
and are in the midst of dangers.
As long as you exist, until
you are perfected in divine love.
Love.
Chaste love of
God.
Who?
Your father.
Your brother.
Your friend.
Why?
Because he made you when
you did not exist.
Because he redeemed you when you were
lost.
Because he enriched you when you were poor, with the
riches of his grace.
How much?
Embracing him
alone with your whole heart.
Tasting/knowing nothing
besides him with your whole soul.
With all your virtue,
everything being perfected and calmly upheld by means of him.
In what way?
In what way. In the
desires of your heart and devotion.
In the joy of praise and
prayer.
In the emulation of virtues and works.
How long?
Even until the
end.
In the end.
Without end.
Timor deum sanctus
permanet.
Quia omnipotens est.
In quo deliquisti.
Quia reuerendus est quem
contempsisti.
Quia districtissimus est. quem tam frequenter
offendisti.
Ut nec respirare
audeas in conspectu tante maiestatis. tante iniquitatis conscius.
Ut propter ipsum omnia sustineas tamquam seruus inutilis et
indignus.
Ut semper suspectus uiuas tanquam fur iam
rapiendus ad tribunal iudicis.
Te ipsum accusando.
Iudicando. Puniendo.
Aliis obtemperando. condolendo. et
compaciendo.
Presentem uitam contempnendo. Futuram appetendo.
Mortem non timendo.
Quam diu delinquis ;
et penam mereris.
Quam diu uiuis. et in periculis
uersaris.
Quam diu fueris. donec in caritate
proficiaris.
Quia te fecit cum non
esses.
Quia te redemit cum perditus esses.
Quia ditauit te cum pauper esses ; diuitiis gratie sue.
Toto corde ipsum
solum amplectendo.
Tota anima nichil preter ipsum
sapiendo.
Tota uirtute. omnia propter ipsum perficiendo. et
equanimiter sustinendo.
Quomodo. In desideriis
cordis et deuotione.
In iubilacione laudis et oratione.
In emulatione uirtutum ; et operacione.
Leua eius
sub capite [meo]
Meditare quod mortaliter precaueris.
Meditare quod ignoras si feceris dignos fructus
penitentie.
Nescis si unus sis confessus et condignam
penitenciam susceperis.
Ignor si eam digne feceris in
caritate. Haec est non utrum timore pene. uel amore iusticie.
Scis quia de te es insufficiens. et imperfectus. et quia omnis
iusticie nostre quasi panus menstruate.
Meditare quod morieris nec ratio.
Quod mortem non uales differre.
Quod uitam
non potes de facili prolongare.
Quod nichil de tuis tecum
auferes. nisi quod propter deum dedisti.
Meditare quod hora mortis incerta
Nescis qualiter
morieris.
Nescis quo iturus sis post mortem.
Meditare quod post mortem non est fructuosa
penitentia.
Quod tam peruum pro te facient tui.
Quod tam cito
obliuiscuntur tui quibus tua reliqueris.
Dextera eius
aplexabitur [me]
Meditare extremum iuditium saluatoris. quando iusti
stabunt in magna constantia. et angelos iudicabet.
Ubi
impius non potest fugere.
Ubi peccator non potest
latere.
Ubi intollerabile est apperere.
Meditare consummatam penam reprobis.
Ubi est ignis. uermis. stridor dentium. fletus. et tenebre. mors
sine morte. finis sine fine. defectus sine defectum.
Ubi est
odium dei siue eius qui hinc arius habuit deo quia ibi se mutuo uidebunt ad
dampnationem.
Ubi non est spes euadendi. nec momentanea pene
mitigatio.
Meditare bona que preparauit deus a constitutione
mundi bonis. que oculus non uidit etc.
Ubi sunt dotes
corporis. Impassibilitas. claritas. agilitas. subtilitas.
Ubi sunt beatitudines anime. cognitio que succedet fideri conprehensio que
succedet spei fruitio qua caritas perficitur.
Ubi haec sine
intermissione. sine fastidio. sine fine.
Meditare peccata tua. que tam pacienter sustinuit.
tam longanimiter te conuerti ; expectauit.
Tot bona
ommisisti facere ; que potuisti fecisse.
Tot mala fecisti
que non debuisti commisisse.
Tam diu moratus es. abutendo
pacientia dei. tam uideres tot iustos affligi tot unius peccatores mori.
Creationis ex uili sperma te. uitam pulchram et nobilem creaturam. in sensibus.
in menbris. et uita rationali.
Redempcionis per mortem filii
sui. communionis quoque sacramentorum.
Cotidiane sustenta
communis. et quia te natum imbescillem .nudus. exultate. donauit uirtutibus.
ditauit possessionibus et dignitate sublimi.
Holy fear of God
endures.
Because he is
omnipotent, against whom you have transgressed.
Because he
is awful, whom you have defied.
Because he is most severe,
whom you have so frequently offended.
So that you dare
not breathe in the sight of so much majesty, conscious of so much
inequality.
So that, with regards to yourself, you endure
everything, like a useless and unworthy servant.
So that
you live always in apprehension, just as a thief, now snatched away to face the
judge's seat.
By you accusing,
judging, punishing yourself.
By obeying, grieving with, and
suffering with others.
By despising the present life,
striving for the future one, not fearing death.
As long as you do
wrong, and are deserving of punishment.
As long as you live,
and are in the midst of dangers.
As long as you exist, until
you are perfected in divine love.
Because he made you when
you did not exist.
Because he redeemed you when you were
lost.
Because he enriched you when you were poor, with the
riches of his grace.
Embracing him
alone with your whole heart.
Tasting/knowing nothing
besides him with your whole soul.
With all your virtue,
everything being perfected and calmly upheld by means of him.
In what way. In the
desires of your heart and devotion.
In the joy of praise and
prayer.
In the emulation of virtues and works.
His left hand
beneath my head
Think that you take heed of your mortality.
You do not know how
gravely.
You have used up God's patience.
Think that you do not know if you have brought
forth fruit worthy of penance (Matthew 3:8).
You do not know
if you one of those who has properly confessed, and received very worthy
repentance.
You do not know whether you have made your
repentance in proper charity; that is, not in fear of punishment, but rather in
love of justice.
You know that in yourself you are
insufficent and imperfect, and that all our justices [are become] as the rag of a
menstruous woman (Isaiah 64:6).
Think that you will die, no question.
That you do not have the power to defer death.
That you are not able to prolong life with ease.
That you can take nothing of yours with you, unless you have
given it on account of God.
Think that the hour of death is uncertain.
You do not know where or when you will die.
You do not know how you will die.
You do not know where you
will go after death.
Think that penitence produces no fruit after
death.
That yours will do so little for you.
That [you have done it] so carelessly.
That
very soon the things you leave behind will be forgotten.
His right hand
will embrace [me]
Think of the last judgement of the saviour, when
the just will stand in great harmony, and the angels will condemn.
When the impious cannot flee.
When the
sinner cannot hide.
When it is unbearable to appear.
Think of the consummate pain of the reprobate.
Where there is fire, worms, gnashing of teeth, tears, and shadow.
Death without dying; end without ending; failure without fail.
Where there is hatred of God, or of that which Arius thought to be
God; that there, they will see each other into damnation.
Where there is no hope of escaping, nor momentary lessening of pain.
Think of the good things that God has prepared
from the creation of the world, with good things that the eye cannot see,
etc.
Where there are gifts of the body: inability to
suffer; brightness; agility; fineness.
Where there are
blessings of the soul: knowledge which comes after faith, understanding that
follows hope, enjoyment where charity is completed.
Where
these things are without intermission, without disdain, without end.
Think of your sins, which he so patiently bore, so
enduringly he waited for you to be changed.
You have
overlooked so many good deeds, which you would have been able to do.
You have done so many bad things, which you should not have
committed.
You have tarried so long, using up God's
patience; you see so many righteous thrown down, so many sinners die.
Of
your creation from worthless seed. [He gave] beautiful life and noble creation, in
senses, in limbs, and rational life.
Of redemption through
the death of his son. Of communion and the other sacraments.
Of the daily shared support; and because of you he was born helpless, bare;
rejoice. He gave virtues, he enriched with possessions and high dignity.